Another Day, Another Softball MSNBC Interview with Perez Hilton

Published: 5/13/2009 12:00 AM ET

MSNBC's Contessa Brewer, stated yesterday after pageant owner Donald Trump proclaimed Carrie Prejean would continue her reign as Miss California, that the controversy over her defense of marriage as one man and one woman “is a good jumping off point for a conversation about same-sex marriage, about hypocrisy.”

Based on Brewer's softball interview with “celebrity gossip columnist” Perez Hilton, it's clear she does not want a conversation. She wants Prejean to apologize for her beliefs and to Hilton.

Brewer introduced her live May 12 interview with Hilton, “No apologies today from Miss California who gets to keep her crown, not for the semi-nude pictures which she blames on the photographer and the wind, not for the comments about gay marriage which she stands by and certainly not for blogger Perez Hilton. Carrie Prejean and Hilton have been sparring you see, since Perez Hilton asked her about gay marriage at the Miss USA Pageant.”

Brewer failed to mention that the “sparring” began after Hilton directed a verbal beating at Prejean and posted it on his blog shortly after the April 19 Miss USA pageant ended. Hilton called Prejean a “dumb b----“ in his rant, and in a separate MSNBC interview, stated, “hey, I was thinking the c- word and I didn't say it.”

Hilton insisted to Brewer, in response to the question of how he scored Prejean's answer in the competition, that he “marked her low because it was a competition and she did not answer that question as well as she could have. She could have still been Biblically correct and spoken from her heart while giving an answer that would not have been instantly divisive and alienated millions of people.”

Brewer didn't ask the obvious follow-up question: “How can she be Biblically correct and not alienate people when the Bible is clear on the definition of marriage?”

She simply let Hilton continue, “I think what people forget is we're asking these women questions, not as whom they are, but as the potential next Miss USA.” Neither Brewer nor Hilton noted that as Miss California, Prejean was representing not only her personal views but the majority view of her state, as evidenced by last November's passage of Proposition 8.

Hilton later insisted, unchallenged from Brewer, that the controversy “has nothing to do with gay marriage. Nothing whatsoever…and everything to do with homophobia. And with the fact that majority of this country still think that being gay is abnormal, and being gay is sinful and bad.”

Another question Brewer failed to ask was, “If the majority of Americans are against gay marriage, wouldn't Prejean's answer represent she is in touch with this country's belief?” Instead, Brewer stated, “Well, I wanted to give you chance to talk about that but I would be um, remiss, if I didn't ask you, what did you think about Donald Trump's decision to allow her to keep her crown?”

Unfortunately, despite her best efforts Brewer was remiss, by not asking about the foul names Hilton hurled at Prejean, by simply giving him another soapbox and telling viewers Prejean should apologize to the person who bullied her for her beliefs.

For more on MSNBC's take on this controversy, click on the following links:

MSNBC's Shuster Launches Attack Campaign Against Miss California for Gay Marriage Stance

Shuster Attacks Traditional Marriage Advocate; Asks If He Fears Attraction to Gay Couple

Shuster Says 'Can I Vomit' When Trump Lets Miss California Keep Crown

Colleen Raezler is a research assistant at the Culture and Media Institute, a division of the Media Research Center.